Vending-machine.



10.847,863.l PATENTED MAR.19,1907, l .,T- A. WATTS.

VENDING MAGHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.19,'1906.

' ATTORNEY.

` narran STTnS FATET venom-e- AMCA-MNE.

timeliness.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented MarchI 19, 1907.

Application mea April 19,1906. simu1\r0.v:;12.a7".'.v

To all whom it may concern; p

Be it known that'I, THOMAS-A.y WATTS, a

I citizeny of 4the-UnitedY States, residing at S ringfield, in the'county of Clark and State o 0h10, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending-Machines, of which the following is -a specification, reference being had therein 'to the accompanying drawin s. Y 'l This invention relates to improvements in vending-machines.

The special feature to which the improvements relate is the retaining and feeding chute byv which the articles to .be vendedchewingmparticularlymay be contained in a stac and fed automatically, one at a time, when. the machine is operated. This special feature consists, essentlally, of a comblnation of the feeding-plunger and a fixed bottom for `the chute, with adjustable side walls for the chute to vary the width of the chute according to the length of the articlessay different lengths of chewing-gum sticks?- and with the face walls adjustable on the side walls to vary the depth of the chute to agree with the diHerent widths of the articles-say the width of the chewing-gum sticks-all as hereinafter more fully described, and `parlticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawin s, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of so much o? a vendingmachine as is. comprehended in my improvements; Fig. 2, a vertical sectional view on the line 'y 'y of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a horizontal sectional view on the line ma: of Fig. ,1; Fig.4, a general perspective view looking at the face of the machine and illustrating particularly the chute and its contained articles, as also the front end of the feeding-plunger; and Fig. 5, asectional view in detail of the means for holdin the front plates.`

At 1 isv esignated the frame of a vendingmachine of any4 approved type, in the panel 2 of which is shown the fl re of a mule, which by mechanism not invoIvled in this invention is made to kick every time'a stick of chewinggum or the article vended is dro ped from the chute. Behind the panel 2 tlie operating machinery is located. 'The section 3 ofV the machine is where the retaining and delivering chute is'located, bein built in in that part 4of the machine and ing of the construction now about to be described. The articles vended drop to the surface 4, where,l through the opening 5, they are accessible to the purchaser.

tion, the numeral 64 designates'the fixed back plateof the chute, dpreferably consisting of a sheet of metal hel to the general frame by vbars 7. This back plate carries a screwthreaded stud 8, having a wing-nut 9, and is slotted at 10. An adjusting-plate 11 is fitted to slide up and down on the rear of'this back plate 6, and as a selected means of securing the adjustable plate it is provided Referring now to the features of my invenwith a stud 12, which extends through the 9 slot 10 and is widened out at its forward end to 'prevent withdrawing from the slot. Then.l

the screw-threaded stud'S 'extends through the slot 13 in the late 11, and the wing-nut 9 1s used to keep t at portion of the plate 10 against the plate 56,' as also to clamp the plate 11 when adjusted to different ldesired positions. A handpiece 14 enables the user to adjust the adjustable late-up and down. The eifect of adjusting tlg' is to contract or narrow t e width of the chute, and the effect of adjusting it downward isv to increase the width of the chute.

-This is'done by means ofthe adjustable end plates 15, which are provided with studs 16, secured to the rear Wings 17 of these plates and passing through horizontally-extended slots 18 in the back plate 6 and through `s'lots 19 in the adjustable plate 11.

spect to its width to the' length of the articles to be placed therein-say sticks of chewinggum, for` which this chute is specially de- 1s late 11 upward These studs, are fixed to the -wings 17 of the side plates 15,

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signed. There is little variance 1n the width of sticks ofchewing-gum, while the length of the different ma but as there-fare brands whose width is dierent from the-widths of vother brands I have provided foradjusting the depth of my chute to agree with all the different widths of the different brands, and by lthis double adjustment-that is, the ad'ustment of the width of my chute and the a justment of the depth of my chute-I am enabled to conforml its lsize to that of'all the sizes ofthe articles v'to es varies considerably ;v

be fed and delivered. To this end I provide the chute with front walls 20, consisting of pllates having Wings 21, which overlap and t against the end walls of the chute and which arel adjustable in and out on such end walls. Studs-22 are secured to thewalls 15 and passed through slots 23 in the win s 21 and carry springs 24, whose tension the front walls to ad'usted positions. It will now be seen that' avink adjusted the front walls 20 to suit the widt of the article I can then adjust the distance of the end i walls 15 from each other by operating the adjusting-plate 11, both end walls being thus adjusted at the same time and both being held in any adjusted position by the v one means which is used to secure the adjusting-plate 11 in fixed positions-namely, thescrew 8 and its wing-nut 9 or other equivaldnt fastening device.

The bottom of the'chute is composed of two fixed plates 25 25, each having a wing 26 secured to the back lplate 6, as by rivets 27. This bottom supports the article in the chute, as suggested in Fig. 2. The space between these plates, constituting, in eiliect, a cut-away part in the bottom of the chute, is adapted to receive the feeding-plunger 28,

com osed of a bar-slidably mounted in Ways.

29, aving a Wing 30 secured by the aforesaid rivets 27 to the back plate 6. The back plate is slotted at 31 to permit the plunger to pass back and forth when reciprocated by the bell-crank lever 32, mounte 33, carried by a suitable arm 34, extending from the trame of the machine, and itself actuated by a pitman 35, reciprooated by any suitable operating mechanism, preferably a clock mechanism adapted to actuate the parts whena coin is dropped into the machine* in the usual way. A pin 3G on the plun er 28 works in a slot 37 4in the bellcra leverA in an obvious' manner. The plunger carries a Wedge 38, adapted to press against and somewhat lift the article to be fed or delivered when thev machine is operated-say the lowermost stick of chewmggum of the several piled up in the chute. As the lunger advances forward it so engages this lowermost article or chewing-gum stick and forces it from the bottom 25 25, whence it falls onto the surface 4, where it is accessible to the purchaser through the vopening 5. The plunger then returns to its normal position, letting the superincumbent articles or sticks of chewing-gum settle down until the lowermost one rests upon the bottom 25 25.'

It will be noted that the bottom is fixed in size and that its relation to the feeding.- plunger remains the same all the time, sub.- ject only to the fact that the plunger recipcatesv into and out of the space between the parts 25'and 25 and that this arrangement is preserved irrespective of the size of the chute. It will also be noted that the adjuston a pivot ment ofthe width of this chute is eliected by manually moving but one part after loosening the fastening device 9. In Fig. 1 I have broken away one corner of the adjustingplate 11 the more readily to show one of the orizontal slots 18 in the plate 6.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

5,1. In a vending-machine, the combination, with the casing forming a chute, a bottom for said chute,. and a plunger adapted to work across the same, of outer walls for said casing adjustable one toward the other, and means for adjusting and securin the same in difierent positions, substantial y asdescribed.

2. In a vending-machine, the combination, with the casing forming a chute, a bottom for said chute, and a plunger ada ted to work across the same, of end walls or said casing adjustable one toward the other, means for adjusting and securing the same in different positions, and front walls for said casing adjustably secured to said end walls, substantially as described.

3. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a chute-bottom,jand a plunger adapted to work across the same, vof adjustable end walls for the chute, an adjustingplate mounted at the back of the chute, and connections between said plate and said end Walls to adjust-and hold the Ilatter by means' plate mounted at the back of the chute, connections between said plate and end walls to adjust and secure the latter by means of said plate, and adjustable front walls secured to the said walls and means to hold them in different adjusted positions.

5. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a chute-bottom, and a plunger adapted to work across the same, of a back plate for the chute, an adj usti ng-plate mounted on the back plate, end walls for the chute mounted on the back plate and connected with the adjusting-plate to he adjusted thereby, the connection between the back plate and the adjustin -plate being-:by means of vertical slots andv connectirigf devices, and the connection-between the adjustinglate and the end walls being by means of ob ique and' horizontal slots and connecting devices.

6.. In a vending-machine, a chute consisting of a back plate having vertical and horizontal slots, an adj ustin -plate having oblique slots and connected to t e back plate through the vertical slots and securin devices, and walls having wings fitted to t e back plate with securing devices assing through the hlorizontal slots and tiirough said oblique s ots.

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esi/,sos v a 7. In a vending-machine, a chute coml telly slotted, and front Walls having Wings prsing a back plate having'horizonta and fitted to the end Weils, and securing devices vertical slots, en -.adjusting-plate havin secured to the end Walls and passing through oblique slots and a vertical slot, and secure the slots in the wings of the front Walls.

5 to the back plate b means of securing dei In testimony whereof 1 afxmy signature 15 'vices assing throug said Vetical s1ots,-end in presence of two Witnesses. Walls' swing Wings iitted against the had@L l THOMASA. `WA'I`TSI plate and oan'ying securingdevices which I 'Witnessesr extend thlough said horizontal slots and said g v E. O, HAGAN,

xo obiique slots', said end `Walls beinghorizon i IRVINE MinLJLJR.- 

